AllThingsD » Nexus 7http://allthingsd.com
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 15:45:11 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.16http://allthingsd.com/theme/images/logo-rss.jpgAll Things Digitalhttp://allthingsd.com/
14422LG G Pad and Sony Ultra Z Both Get the Google Play Treatmenthttp://allthingsd.com/20131210/lg-g-pad-and-sony-ultra-z-both-get-the-google-play-treatment/
http://allthingsd.com/20131210/lg-g-pad-and-sony-ultra-z-both-get-the-google-play-treatment/#commentsTue, 10 Dec 2013 19:31:43 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=377928LG on Tuesday announced the Google Play version of its G Pad 8.3 tablet, which it said will sell for $349 via Google’s online store.

Google also said it will start selling an unlocked Google Play version of the 6.4-inch Sony Z Ultra phablet for $649.

The devices aren’t quite Nexus products like the LG-made Nexus 5 phone or Asus-made Nexus 7 tablet, but they do represent an option to get the pure Google experience and likely a quick upgrade to future updates of the operating system.

“LG’s working relationship with Google has always been strong and our collaboration on the first-ever Google Play Edition tablet is proof of that commitment,” LG mobile unit head Jong-seok Park said in a statement.

Google already sells Google Play versions of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4.

The Wi-Fi tablet packs the latest KitKat version of Android along with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip, 16 gigabytes of storage and front and rear cameras along with an 8.3-inch display.

With the next-generation iPad mini with Retina display, Apple managed to create a device identical to its sibling, the iPad Air, in most ways, save size. The two tablets run the same A7 chip and use the same cameras — front and back. They feature the same design, and they are nearly equivalent in performance and battery life. But they do differ in one important area: Color accuracy.

Two new analyses of the Retina iPad mini display reveal that the device has the same color gamut as the now year-old standard iPad mini. That means its color range is narrower than that of not just the iPad Air, but rival tablets like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. According to Anandtech’s tests of the Retina mini , the device’s Delta-E — a measurement that represents the “distance” between the color a display is told to reproduce and the color it actually shows — is much higher than that of the iPad Air. The Retina mini scored an average Delta-E of 6.5, compared to 2.4 for the iPad Air (and 3.3 for Google’s Nexus 7). This isn’t a huge deficit; the Retina mini’s display still looks great, but as Anandtech observes, it lacks the same visual punch you get from the iPad Air (compare the reds in the Retina mini and iPad Air above).

“That is inexcusable for a current generation premium tablet,” DisplayMate President Ray Soneira said. “The big differences in color gamut between the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and Nexus 7 and the much smaller 63 percent gamut in the iPad mini Retina display were quite obvious and easy to see in the side-by-side viewing tests. … This all appears to be due to incredibly poor planning. Instead of moving up to the higher performance (and cost) low-temperature poly silicon LCDs, Apple chose to continue gambling on IGZO, which has resulted in both production shortages and inferior products.”

Strong language, that. Question is, does it really matter to anyone who isn’t sitting at a test bench? Not likely.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20131118/ipad-minis-color-range-still-a-shade-shy-of-the-best/feed/0Android KitKat Update Rolling Out to Wi-Fi Nexus 7, Nexus 10http://allthingsd.com/20131113/android-kitkat-update-rolling-out-to-wi-fi-nexus-7-nexus-10/
http://allthingsd.com/20131113/android-kitkat-update-rolling-out-to-wi-fi-nexus-7-nexus-10/#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 16:26:43 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=372409Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 owners are in for a sweet treat today. Google announced this morning that it has begun rolling out the latest version of its mobile operating system, Android 4.4 KitKat, to the tablets. But the software is only bound for the Wi-Fi models for now. Google says the cellular Nexus 4 and 7 will get the update “soon.” Revealed last month, KitKat offers several new features, including a more immersive design and a revamped phone app.
]]>http://allthingsd.com/20131113/android-kitkat-update-rolling-out-to-wi-fi-nexus-7-nexus-10/feed/0T-Mobile’s Next Act: 200MB Free Data Monthly for Tablets, Plus Trade-In Programhttp://allthingsd.com/20131023/t-mobiles-next-act-200mb-free-data-monthly-for-tablets-plus-trade-in-program/
http://allthingsd.com/20131023/t-mobiles-next-act-200mb-free-data-monthly-for-tablets-plus-trade-in-program/#commentsWed, 23 Oct 2013 18:18:36 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=367789In its latest move to be the “Uncarrier,” T-Mobile today announced new plans for tablets that include a free monthly allotment of 4G LTE data for the life of the product, and the option to purchase a new device in monthly installments with no money down, including the iPad Air and Nexus 7.

Calling it “Tablets Un-leashed,” the company said that customers who buy a tablet through T-Mobile will receive 200 megabytes of free 4G LTE data every month for as long as they own the tablet. The program is open to anyone with a T-Mobile-compatible tablet, even if you’re not a T-Mobile customer.

But, unlike its smartphone plans where the carrier slows down data speeds once you’ve hit your limit, the data connection will be cut off on tablets if you blow through the 200MB before the end of the month.

T-Mobile said that once that happens, a screen will pop up asking you if you’d like to purchase one of T-Mobile’s daily, weekly or monthly passes, or you can continue to use the tablet over Wi-Fi and wait till the next month for the data to kick in again. Pricing starts at $5 for a daily pass for 500MB of 4G LTE data, and $10 for a weekly pass of one gigabyte of 4G LTE data. Those with a T-Mobile voice plan have the option of 500MB of 4G data for $10 a month.

During a conference call, T-Mobile CEO John Legere noted that about 90 percent of consumers are using tablets over Wi-Fi and that’s largely due to the high prices of current data plans.

“We believe it’s time that tablets operated the same way that smartphones do, and should be connected all the time,” said Legere. “We’ve been waiting for a while to get in this game and stop this silliness of restricted and unclear data plans offered by the other carriers.”

To help entice customers, T-Mobile is offering a number of its tablets for $0 upfront, with the cost of the device spread out over two years. With this offer, a customer can buy the new iPad Air (16GB) for 24 equal monthly payments of $26.25, while the iPad mini with Retina display costs $22.07 per month over two years. The Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 are some of the other tablets being offered in this introductory deal.

T-Mobile didn’t say how long this deal would last, but hinted that it would continue to offer some of its tablets for $0 upfront.

Finally, T-Mobile also announced a new trade-in program under which anyone can bring in a tablet in working condition to receive a discount on a new device.

Does size still matter? Just a year ago, Google introduced its Nexus 7, a mini tablet for $199 that posed a real challenge to Apple’s bigger, pricier iPad. Three months later, Apple retaliated with its own small tablet, the iPad mini, though its $329 price wasn’t, well, mini enough for some.

Now, a year after the introduction of the first Nexus 7, Google has unveiled a revamped version of its mini tablet with better features and a slightly bigger $229 price tag.

Starting July 30, this new Nexus 7 is available in a dozen retail outlets including Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon.

I tested it for the past week and found myself drawn to this sturdy, elegant, responsive device from a company once known primarily for its search prowess.

The most notable difference between this new Nexus 7 and the iPad mini is screen quality: The Nexus has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 323 pixels per inch, and the iPad mini’s screen resolution is just 1024 x 768 and 163 pixels per inch. It is also slightly lighter than its Apple rival.

So what’s not to like about the new Nexus 7? For one thing, its seven-inch screen isn’t as big as the nearly eight-inch iPad mini’s. While an inch of difference isn’t remarkable, smartphone screens are growing to over five inches, making the Nexus 7 look more like one of those than a tablet.

Another drawback: In my test, the new Nexus 7’s battery life was underwhelming. Compared with the same battery test of the iPad mini and first Nexus 7, it fell short at just six hours; the others clocked in at 10 hours and 27 minutes and 10 hours and 44 minutes, respectively. Google claims the battery life can last over nine hours, but the company tests it in Airplane mode (Internet connection off), with screen brightness set to 44 percent while playing video. I keep Wi-Fi on in the background and screen brightness at 75 percent while playing video.

This new mini tablet comes in two sizes that are Wi-Fi-only: a $229 16 gigabyte model and a $269 32GB model. A version with a built-in LTE Internet connection on Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile will be available in coming weeks for $349 with 32GB. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPad mini is available in three flavors each of Wi-Fi-only and LTE: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models ranging in price from $329 to $659.

Sorry, kids, no shopping sprees: The new Nexus 7 allows for different restrictions and degrees of access on each user’s profile.

The new Nexus 7 runs Android 4.3, the latest iteration of Google’s Jelly Bean mobile operating system. While not a major upgrade from the last Jelly Bean release in October, it does add a few new features.

One notable extra is Restricted Profiles. Rather than simply giving you the ability to create multiple user accounts for one tablet, Restricted Profiles allow user accounts with preset restrictions on access to apps and content. I tested this by creating a Restricted Profile named “Pretend Kiddo” in Settings, Users, Add User or Profile. I then went down a list of my device’s apps and switched access on or off, according to what I wanted Pretend Kiddo to be able to access. Certain apps in this list clearly say “This app can access your accounts,” so you know what you’re turning on or off.

Creating a Restricted Profile requires that the primary tablet owner use a lockscreen, so that other users without full access can’t get to everything else. In addition to limiting what the Restricted Profile can access, specific app settings, such as in-app purchases and age restrictions, can also be tweaked.

Another new Android feature allows users to play games against friends while keeping track of their achievements using Google Play Games. This is a lot like Game Center on Apple’s iOS.

The Nexus 7 also caught up to the iPad mini in cameras: It now has a built-in rear-facing camera, unlike its predecessor, which only had a front-facing one. Both iPad mini and new Nexus 7 cameras have the same megapixel counts: Five megapixels on the rear-facing camera and 1.2 megapixels on the front-facing one. Neither device has a built-in flash.

I snapped photos both indoors and outside in natural light, and found the outdoor images looked better, though the inside ones were adequate.

I downloaded and watched movies and TV shows on the Nexus 7, admiring its impressively sharp, colorful — albeit smallish — screen, which I usually kept in landscape view. Built-in surround-sound speakers placed on both ends of the tablet emulated a six-speaker system, giving it a rich tone.

At only 0.64 of a pound, this tablet was lightweight enough to hold for long periods without causing my arm to ache. I also found it easy to prop up on kitchen counters and coffee tables because its back and sides aren’t slippery.

Google’s new Nexus 7 has a lot to offer, if you’re looking for a tiny tablet that packs a punch. If you’re used to a larger tablet screen, its seven-inch screen size might bug you. But for many people, it will make on-the-go gaming, video watching and reading a delightfully portable experience.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130730/googles-new-nexus-7-the-budget-tablet-to-beat/feed/0Asus's Chief Jonney Shih Dishes on How the New Nexus 7 Came to Behttp://allthingsd.com/20130729/asus-ceo-jonney-shih-dishes-on-how-the-new-nexus-7-came-to-be/
http://allthingsd.com/20130729/asus-ceo-jonney-shih-dishes-on-how-the-new-nexus-7-came-to-be/#commentsMon, 29 Jul 2013 13:30:07 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=346178Google and Asus had already set some pretty audacious goals for the redesigned Nexus 7. Starting last October, work began to make a second-generation device that was thinner, packed a faster chip, included a faster processor and a 1080p high-definition display, all while keeping the price about the same.

But, at a meeting in Taiwan’s Taipei 101 skyscraper in January, the group agreed to try yet another trick — shave some more millimeters from the bezel that surrounds the seven-inch screen.

The change meant that one Asus engineer nearly had to postpone his wedding because he was in Mountain View, Calif., while another had to travel to the U.S. and then to China just after his wife had given birth to a daughter, but Asus managed to get it done.

“I feel so sorry for them,” Asus Chairman Jonney Shih said in an interview on Thursday. But, he said, he is very pleased with the results of all that hard work.

Another area where Google and Asus pressed hard was on the screen itself. The Nexus 7 is the first tablet to make use of the same kind of thin, high-resolution screen used in the iPad and other phones. Japan Display, which makes the screen, just opened a new facility in June, and Shih said Asus workers made lots of trips to Japan to make sure the supplier could really deliver to Google’s tight schedule.

“At the beginning, we didn’t consider JDI because of the cost consideration,” Shih said, but in the end, its screen was necessary to get the thinness and battery performance that Google and Asus wanted.

But Shih said that the company’s Nexus work complements its other products, including its own line of competing Android tablets. Shih said products like Asus Memo HD is aimed at a different segment, selling for just $149 and using different technologies.

The Nexus 7, he said, is part of a broader strategy for the Taiwanese device maker, which has made a niche for itself both through low-cost devices and for its unique combination devices — such as the PadFone dockable phone, and its Transformer series of convertible Android tablets.

It’s an approach that started with the eeePC, one of the first netbooks, and a product that put the longtime motherboard maker on the map for devices. Since then, Shih said, the company has worked to put a new design philosophy into all the company’s products.

Combination devices are necessary in an era where people are constantly shifting between their work and personal lives.

“Now, people are more multifaceted — work and play are very hard to separate,” Shih said.

The Nexus 7 is just one of the things that Asus has been working on lately. Check back later this week for more from our interview with Asus Chairman Jonney Shih.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130729/asus-ceo-jonney-shih-dishes-on-how-the-new-nexus-7-came-to-be/feed/0AllThingsD's Week in Review: The Chromecast's Enemies and AT&T's Record Android Saleshttp://allthingsd.com/20130728/allthingsds-week-in-review-the-chromecasts-enemies-and-atts-record-android-sales/
http://allthingsd.com/20130728/allthingsds-week-in-review-the-chromecasts-enemies-and-atts-record-android-sales/#commentsSun, 28 Jul 2013 18:45:01 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=346587In case you missed anything, here’s a quick roundup of some of the news that powered AllThingsD this week:

Apple slightly beat Wall Street’s Q3 earnings expectations, shipping five million more iPhones than predicted, but four million fewer iPads than analysts expected. It also spent $16 billion to buy back 36 million AAPL shares.

BTIG analyst Walt Piecyk said Apple’s earnings guidance for Q4 2013 suggest only one thing: New hardware in September, probably new iPhones.

Twitter aggressively pitched advertisers on tweet-discussions about television programs, but Facebook actually has five times as much TV talk.

In a letter filed with the SEC, Michael Dell wrote to shareholders, regarding his $24.6 billion leveraged buyout proposal: “The decision is now yours. I am at peace either way and I will honor your decision.”

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130728/allthingsds-week-in-review-the-chromecasts-enemies-and-atts-record-android-sales/feed/0New Nexus 7 Packs Quite a Pixel Punch, Landing a Blow at Applehttp://allthingsd.com/20130724/new-nexus-7-packs-quite-a-pixel-punch-landing-a-blow-at-apple/
http://allthingsd.com/20130724/new-nexus-7-packs-quite-a-pixel-punch-landing-a-blow-at-apple/#commentsWed, 24 Jul 2013 20:56:20 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=345881While Apple watchers are still waiting for an iPhone-style Retina display to make its way to the iPad mini, Android lovers got such a screen with the redesigned Nexus 7.

The second-generation Nexus 7 is capable of showing full HD content, thanks to a screen that shows a whopping 323 pixels per inch — well into the territory of screens where the individual pixels are too small to be recognized by the human eye from a reasonable reading distance.

Numbers aside, that means that the Nexus 7 can show movies in full 1080p high definition, a feat Apple’s iPad mini can’t match.

While the larger iPad has a greater-than-HD Retina display, it uses a totally different type of screen technology from the iPhone, and the mini is still in the less-than-Retina category. The Nexus 7, meanwhile, uses a similar display to the iPhone — part of what allowed Google and manufacturing partner Asus to make the device so thin and light.

Managing to secure such a screen — and to pack it into a relatively low-cost device — was no small feat.

Google’s Hiroshi Lockheimer said the company has been working for quite some time with Japan Display — the company that makes the screens, which are known as LTPS (low-temperature poly-silicon) displays.

But in managing to incorporate such a screen, Google now has a strong selling point over both the iPad mini and other Android tablets with lower-resolution displays.

“They are using a lot of high-end technologies in an entry-level device,” said DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim.

Shim said that Apple may be able to start producing later this year the components for a Retina-level iPad mini, but said volume shipments of such a device won’t come until the first few months of next year because of the challenges of producing such a display.

Android and Chrome head Sundar Pichai said that, even at its $229 starting price, there is still room for retailers, Asus and Google itself to profit from the product.

The other big coup of the Nexus 7 was managing to create a single LTE model that can sell unlocked and work with carriers around the globe. In the U.S., for example, the same Nexus 7 can be connected to the networks of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Pichai said that is part of the company’s aim with its Nexus devices, and that doing so will help the cellular-equipped model be more attractive to retailers leery of having to stock multiple different products.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130724/new-nexus-7-packs-quite-a-pixel-punch-landing-a-blow-at-apple/feed/0Android Gets a Modest Update, Adding Improved Bluetooth and Other Nicetieshttp://allthingsd.com/20130724/android-gets-a-modest-update-adding-improved-bluetooth-and-other-niceties/
http://allthingsd.com/20130724/android-gets-a-modest-update-adding-improved-bluetooth-and-other-niceties/#commentsWed, 24 Jul 2013 16:30:23 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=345643As part of its event on Wednesday, Google announced that the Android operating system is getting an update.

Version 4.3 of the software, still part of the Jelly Bean family, includes support for kids’ accounts, which Google has dubbed “restricted profiles.” The new Android update also adds support for Bluetooth Smart (a.k.a. Bluetooth Low Energy) as well as OpenGL ES3, the latest version of the 3-D graphics standard.

Older Nexus 7 devices will get the update, as will the Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus and some other Nexus devices. The Google Play versions of the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One will get the update soon.

Netflix will be among the first software makers to take advantage of the new update, using it to power 1080p streaming video.

A new Google Play Games app — available from the store and included on the new Nexus 7 — is designed to serve as a destination for Android gamers with leaderboards, achievements and other features often found in such hubs.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130724/android-gets-a-modest-update-adding-improved-bluetooth-and-other-niceties/feed/0Google's Sundar Pichai: One in Two Tablets Is Running Androidhttp://allthingsd.com/20130724/googles-sundar-pichai-one-in-two-tablets-is-running-android/
http://allthingsd.com/20130724/googles-sundar-pichai-one-in-two-tablets-is-running-android/#commentsWed, 24 Jul 2013 16:16:47 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=345640Though the iPad seems to get all the attention, Google’s Sundar Pichai said that Android is now running on half of the tablets being sold, with more than 70 million Android tablets having been activated.

“Google has made tremendous strides,” Pichai said, speaking today at an Android and Chrome event in San Francisco.

To keep things growing, Google on Wednesday is launching an updated version of the Nexus 7 tablet built for Google by Asus. The new black design is thinner, lighter and has a smaller bezel than the first Nexus 7.

It adds a higher-density 1080p display, which packs 323 pixels per inch.

A 16 gigabyte Wi-Fi model will be available for $229, while the 32GB model will sell for $269.

Google is also announcing an unlocked LTE version of the tablet that works with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. That version will sell for $349 and be available in the coming weeks.

The original Nexus 7, Pichai said, accounted for 10 percent of all Android tablets.

Google is also hoping to get more students interested in the Nexus and other Android tablets with a new textbook store. The section of Google Play, which will debut in early August, features the ability to rent or buy textbooks, and will have content from all five major educational publishers.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130724/googles-sundar-pichai-one-in-two-tablets-is-running-android/feed/0The Latest From Chrome and Android at Google Launch Eventhttp://allthingsd.com/20130724/liveblogging-the-latest-from-chrome-and-android-at-google-launch-event/
http://allthingsd.com/20130724/liveblogging-the-latest-from-chrome-and-android-at-google-launch-event/#commentsWed, 24 Jul 2013 15:58:50 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=345639Google will show off the latest in its Chrome and Android lines this morning.

It’s no secret that there should be a new Nexus 7 — in fact, Best Buy already has the tablet on sale in 16 gigabyte and 32GB configurations.

Android itself is due for a modest update, as well, going to version 4.3 with improvements in Bluetooth and tweaks other areas.

We’re also expecting something called “Chromecast” from Chrome, which will offer another way to get content from a mobile device on to a TV.

“At Google I/O, we talked about the fact that we are living at a pivotal moment in computing,” he says. “Laptops, tablets, phones, televisions — it’s a multiscreen world.

“Our goal is to deliver an experience that is seamless.”

Pichai says, “Between Android and Chrome, we have a solution for all the computing devices that users have in their lives.”

Two things coming today: A new Android device, a new Chrome device.

By the end of 2013, consumers are going to buy more tablets per year than personal computers. How is Android doing? More than 70 million activated so far.

Almost one in two tablets sold worldwide is based on Android.

A year ago, 20 billion applications downloaded on Google Play. Today, 50 billion. And, revenue per user is up 2.5x in a year. In that year, Google Play has gone from half a billion apps to 1 billion apps.

Pichai: We’ve worked closely with Asus — the CEO, Jonney Shih is here. The Nexus 7 accounts for more than 10 percent of tablets sold. In Japan, it was the single highest-selling tablet in the holiday season, accounting for 45 percent of sales.

Android exec Hugo Barra hops on stage. We can see he has a tablet in his back pocket.

It’s tiny and thin. Barra: It’s 2 millimeters thinner, with the same display size but reduced side bezels of 3 mm on either side. And it’s 50 grams lighter. “It’s a much more comfortable grip, and of course, it fits easily into your purse or jacket.” It has the same soft touch with added gloss.

It has higher resolution — from 216 pixels per inch to 323 per inch — the highest of any in the market.

It can show a 30 percent wider range of colors, and has stereo speakers, with Fraunhofer virtual surround sound.

Barra says they’re going to show car racing with “jaw-dropping visuals.” These demos are always a little strange because we’re watching them projected on a huge screen, not the tiny tablet.

As a lady shoots people while riding a motorcycle amid lens flares, Barra says it’s all rendered in real-time in native 1080p resolution.

Plus, there are new DRM APIs to restrict content access, which Barra says he’s “thrilled” about. Really? Oh no, he’s actually “thrilled” that Netflix has designed for it. Their new app supporting Android 4.3 is already available.

So when is Android 4.3 coming? They’re pushing an update over the air today.

Barra switches over to talk about native Google Apps to show how they look on a tablet. They’ve redesigned Google Docs, with support for offline spreadsheet editing, etc. Chrome now has “print-quality” text and 15 percent more screen space. It also includes automatic translation.

The new Google Maps includes an “Explore” feature. Barra is gushing about how the layout is “awesome” especially at such a high resolution. And lastly, Google Hangouts — it also includes screensharing so people who are video-chatting can watch each other edit docs on their tablets.

Google Play product manager Ellie Powers shows how tablet apps are featured, and says hundreds of games have added the Google Play game services shown off at Google I/O. She demos some games and leaderboards. For instance, a game that looks like Mario Kart on jet skis now features responsive splashes on the windshield, and a game with a guy jumping across rooftops, parkour-style, has the shadows on the buildings change as you shift perspective.

Google Play will have a textbook section starting in early August, she says, with books from all five major textbook publishers. It’ll include purchases as well as rentals for up to an 80 percent discount.

The prices are $229 for 16GB, $269 for 32GB and $349 for unlocked LTE. The first two will be on sale on July 30 at Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, etc. The 4G model will be available “in the coming weeks,” as will international launches in countries like the U.K. and Germany.

After a kind of odd Nexus 7 commercial about a kid with braces giving a speech in front of his class and then Googling “how do I ask a girl out,” Pichai is back. He’s talking TV. He says every single month more than 200 billion videos are watched in the world. And Netflix and YouTube combined have 49.4 percent share of all peak downstream Internet traffic in America. And lots of that is happening on non-TV devices.

A product dude whose name I didn’t catch says Google’s goals for TV are: “Make it fast and easy to set up, with nothing new to learn, and it works across platforms and devices.”

He holds up what looks like a little USB stick, and says it’s called Chromecast. It’s running a simplified version of Chrome OS. It plugs into the HDMI port on a TV.

Let’s say you want to watch YouTube on your TV, he says — you’ll go to that site on your phone/table/PC and see a “Cast” button on the screen. When you do that, it’s pulled from the cloud and played directly on the TV. Your device doesn’t push the content, it comes direct from YouTube.

For the demo, Rishi Chandra comes onstage. In the past, he’s the guy who demoed Google TV.

Interestingly, this TV effort is built around Chrome OS, where the previous Google TV was built on Android.

“If you know how to use YouTube on your phone, you know how to use YouTube on your TV,” Chandra says.

He adds, “Even in sleep mode, the videos continue to play. We don’t drain your battery.”

But, he says, “we recognize that not everyone has an Android phone. And we need a solution that works for everyone. Let’s pretend my wife has an iPhone (heh).” It works the same.

The Cast button can also be used to bring a video back to the phone — if you click it, you can switch to your phone screen and the video will keep playing from the place you left it.

This also works for Netflix. This is the third Netflix callout of the presentation — unusually strong support for a single partner.

Chandra plays the “House of Cards” credits, which are in my opinion possibly awesomer than the show. This demo is to show that you can direct the content from any device that’s connected to the Chromecast on the TV.

In this game of dueling remote controls, you can control content between an iPhone, a Nexus 7 and a TV. It’s not exactly clear to me how this is coordinated — perhaps it’s just the fact that they’re on the same Netflix account.

This can also be used for Google Play Music and Pandora, Chandra says. The “Cast” button — which is a little rectangle with arcs in the corner — shows up there, too.

And lastly, a beta feature: You can project any Chrome tab from the browser to the TV.

“We’ll project what’s on your local device right onto the television — not the entire desktop or the URL bar, but what you want to look at.” Chandra keeps emphasizing that the TV is the best screen in the house with the best speakers in the house, so it’s ideal for content.

This will work with most Windows and Mac laptops as well as Chromebooks.

Developers won’t need to build a new app to work with the Google Cast SDK, which is out in developer preview today.

Actually, the Pandora integration is still under development.

It will retail for $35 and can be ordered today from Amazon, Best Buy and Google Play.

And it will include three months free of Netflix (another Netflix plug/tie-up!) if you buy now.

That concludes the presentation. Bye for now!

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130724/liveblogging-the-latest-from-chrome-and-android-at-google-launch-event/feed/0Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0: A Versatile Mid-Size Tablet With One Major Shortcominghttp://allthingsd.com/20130718/samsung-galaxy-tab-3-8-0-a-versatile-mid-size-tablet-with-one-major-shortcoming/
http://allthingsd.com/20130718/samsung-galaxy-tab-3-8-0-a-versatile-mid-size-tablet-with-one-major-shortcoming/#commentsThu, 18 Jul 2013 13:00:52 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=343260Samsung has enjoyed much success with its Galaxy S family of smartphones. But now it seems like every mobile device that comes from the company has the “Galaxy” name on it. Samsung’s spiel might be that it is using the name to provide a unified brand across its products, but part of me suspects that they’re also trying to ride the coattails of the Galaxy S’s wins. The end result is confusion for the consumer.

On the tablet side, you have the Galaxy Note series, which offers an integrated stylus for jotting notes, and then there’s the Galaxy Tab series, which are traditional Android tablets. This month, Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab 3 series, which consists of the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, and the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. The “3” in the name is because this is the third generation of Galaxy Tab devices, and the number after that corresponds to the tablet’s screen size. They cost $200, $300 and $400, respectively, and all are Wi-Fi-only.

This is the first time Samsung is offering an eight-inch tablet in the Tab family (the company also offers the S-Pen-equipped Galaxy Note 8.0), so I was curious to see what it had to offer. In my week of testing, I found the $300 Galaxy Tab 8.0 to be a solid tablet, with a nice combination of portability and larger display for reading e-books and viewing videos. Its built-in multi-window feature is great, since it allows you to work in two apps at once, which you can’t do on the iPad. You can also use it as a remote control, and performance was smooth.

That said, it has a significantly shorter battery life than competing tablets like the Apple iPad Mini and Google Nexus 7. It also has a lower-resolution screen than the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9, which costs about $30 less. Given these shortcomings, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 wouldn’t be my first choice in mid-size tablets.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is a good-looking device. It measures 8.26 inches tall by 4.87 inches wide by 0.27-inch thick, and weighs 0.68 pounds. It’s slightly taller than the iPad mini, but lighter and smaller than the Kindle Fire HD.

I took it with me on a quick flight up to Portland over the weekend, and easily stored it in my big purse. I also had no problem holding it in one hand to read an e-book, using the Amazon Kindle app. My only criticism is that the plastic back makes it slick. I much prefer the texturized back of the Nexus 7.

The tablet’s eight-inch touchscreen has a resolution of 1,280 by 800 pixels. That’s the same resolution as the Nexus 7’s seven-inch display, but that extra inch of screen real estate made a difference when watching movies and reading Web articles. It’s also sharper than the iPad mini’s 7.9-inch, 1,024 by 768-pixel touchscreen, but the Kindle Fire HD’s 8.9-inch screen bests them all with a 1,920 by 1,200 pixel resolution.

I’m not one for taking pictures with tablets, but the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has a five-megapixel camera on the back, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. The Kindle Fire HD doesn’t have a camera, and the Nexus 7 only has a front-facing camera. Picture quality is decent, though like many mobile devices, it struggles with indoor environments.

The tablet only comes in a 16 gigabyte model, but it has a microSD slot for more storage space.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 runs the latest version of Google’s Android Jelly Bean operating system (version 4.2), and comes preloaded with a number of extra apps. Many of them are Samsung services, and require creating an account, which I didn’t want to be bothered with.

But I did like Samsung’s WatchOn service, which turns the tablet into a universal remote. You don’t have to create an account to use it, and I was able to connect it to my Samsung TV and Motorola cable box, using the step-by-step guide. The in-app program guide does a nice job of showing you what’s currently on air or coming up. You can also search for content by genre.

Like some of Samsung’s other tablets and smartphones, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has a multi-window feature that allows you to view and work in two apps at once. It’s not immediately clear how to use it, and you first have to turn the feature on from the Notifications window. Once you’ve opened an app, you can press the little tab that appears on the left-hand side of the screen and drag another app over to view it on the same screen.

One thing to note is that multi-window currently supports only about 20 apps right now. This includes the Web browser, video player, the Polaris Office Suite and Facebook. Still, I found the list of supported apps to be adequate for my needs, and it was useful for tasks like viewing email and calendar all at once.

A 1.5GHz dual-core processor from Samsung powers the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0. In general, the tablet felt responsive. Apps launched almost immediately, and I didn’t experience any crashes during my testing. Still, it didn’t provide quite the snappiness of the Nexus 7, which has a quad-core processor.

In my harsh battery test, where I set the screen brightness to 75 percent and played a video in a continuous loop, with Wi-Fi and email running in the background, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 lasted just five hours. Meanwhile, Kindle Fire HD offered nine hours and 28 minutes; the iPad mini and Nexus 7 came in at more than 10 hours.

While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0 offers a good mix of portability and screen size, its mediocre battery life drags it down. If you’re after a tablet in the mid-size range for consuming all types of media, the Kindle Fire HD will get you a better screen and battery life for less money.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130718/samsung-galaxy-tab-3-8-0-a-versatile-mid-size-tablet-with-one-major-shortcoming/feed/0Google, Amazon and Apple Pump Up Ad Spending as Tablet Wars Heat Uphttp://allthingsd.com/20130708/google-amazon-and-apple-pump-up-ad-spending-as-tablet-wars-heat-up/
http://allthingsd.com/20130708/google-amazon-and-apple-pump-up-ad-spending-as-tablet-wars-heat-up/#commentsMon, 08 Jul 2013 18:01:40 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=339800Looks like the battle for the hearts of consumer electronics lovers is increasingly playing out in advertisements.

Ad Age recently released its list of the Top 200 U.S. advertisers (subscription required), and the data shows that Google, Amazon and Apple all significantly boosted their budgets from 2011 to 2012.

Apple ad spending on so-called “measured media” rose 21 percent in 2012 to $662 million, from $546 million in 2011, according to an Ad Age analysis of Kantar Media data, as the iPad and iPhone maker tried to fend off Samsung, Amazon and others. Measured media includes TV, billboard, print, radio and online display advertising, but not search. That total made Apple the No. 12 largest U.S. advertiser in 2012.

Google also appeared high on the list at No. 36, thanks to a 66 percent increase in measured media ad spending in 2012 from 2011. The search giant — which is increasingly advertising other parts of its business, such as its Nexus tablet, Google+ and Chrome — spent $340 million on measured media last year, up from $205 million in 2011.

Amazon jumped to No. 68 on the list in 2012, thanks to a 58 percent increase in measured media spending. The online retail giant allocated $245 million toward measured media ad spending last year, up from $156 million in the prior year, as it continued to shine a spotlight on its Kindle family of tablets and e-readers.

At the top of the list sits AT&T, for the second year in a row. The telecom goliath spent $1.6 billion on measured media in 2012, which was actually a 14 percent decrease from the prior year. Still, as Ad Age noted, that total amounts to $5.05 for every U.S. resident, and doesn’t even include search advertising.

Despite the increased spending from Google and Amazon, Apple still sits comfortably at the top of the important tablet market, with 40 percent market share in the first quarter of this year, according to IDC.

We have four children. They have a combination of desktops, laptops, tablet and smartphones. How can I limit Wi-Fi Internet access time by child across all of these devices?

A:

I have never tested this, but various Wi-Fi routers have parental control settings built right in. Some of these controls claim to filter out unsuitable content and others also offer the option of timing the access for various devices, or “clients” in tech jargon, on the network. Your current router may even have these features. To use them, you have to use software that came with the router, or access the router’s settings via a Web page. Your router’s instructions should tell you how to do this. You may also have to know something called the “MAC” address for each device, a unique identifier that would allow you to set different time limits for each. Sometimes this is called the “Wi-Fi address.” Asus, for instance, has parental controls like this on its routers. Here’s what they look like.

Q:

I bought a Nexus 7 last year and have purchased a few books from Google Play. I find reading to be a problem because of the reflective glare on the screen. I have read good reviews on the new Kobo Aura HD. My question is: If I buy a dedicated e-reader like the Kobo or Kindle, will I be trapped into a specific book market? Will I be able to transfer books from Google Play to the Kobo Aura HD?

A:

There are technical workarounds that allow you to “sideload” books manually onto e-readers like the Kobo or Kindle, though I’m not certain your Google Play books would be transferable in that manner. However, the basic answer to your question is that, unlike general-purpose tablets that can have reader apps from many online bookstores, dedicated e-readers are linked to specific book stores online.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130611/limiting-wi-fi-access-per-child/feed/0Where Are They Now? Google I/O 2012 Edition.http://allthingsd.com/20130514/where-are-they-now-google-io-2012-edition/
http://allthingsd.com/20130514/where-are-they-now-google-io-2012-edition/#commentsTue, 14 May 2013 19:02:58 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=321351This year’s Google I/O developer conference is shaping up to be a very different show from last year’s spectacle.

The company has downplayed expectations ahead of the event, saying that it will shift the focus back on developers and services rather than new hardware products and a new operating system.

We’ll find out exactly what’s in store tomorrow, when Google I/O 2013 officially kicks off with a three-hour keynote. But, before that, we thought this would be a good time to take a look back at what has happened since the last I/O.

At times resembling an action flick more than a developer conference, Google I/O 2012 was most memorable for the outrageous Google Glass demonstration and hardware announcements. But with all that hype comes some disappointment.

Google Glass

Skydivers, rooftop bikers and rappellers — that’s how Google first introduced Google Glass to the world. This wearable computer allows users to take pictures and video, get directions and search the Internet by voice. At the time of the conference, U.S.-based attendees could preorder an early version of the futuristic glasses for only (!) $1,500.

Google has since been holding developer events, and the glasses have been making the rounds at high-profile showcases and with some tech bloggers. In an interview with NPR last weekend, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said the company has shipped about 2,000 units to developers. However, there is still no release date for the device. If you just can’t wait, you can always make your own.

Nexus Q

Looking to take on Apple, Microsoft and Amazon in the battle for the living room, Google introduced its media-streaming device, the Nexus Q, at I/O last year. The bocce-ball-sized unit allows users to wirelessly stream Google Play content to a TV or home theater system, and there was much praise when Google announced that it would be manufactured in the U.S. But Nexus Q — or at least this first attempt — turned out to be a nothingburger.

A mere month after its debut, Google postponed the Nexus Q indefinitely after getting initial feedback from users saying they wanted the device to do more. The company said it would work on making the product better, but we have yet to see any updates. And we won’t be hearing about it at this year’s conference.

Nexus 7

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet fared much better. Launched in mid-July, the Asus-built tablet stood out in a sea of Android tablets with its affordable $200 price tag, without skimping out on features or quality. AllThingsD’s Walt Mossberg called it a winner in his review, and said it was the toughest challenger to the iPad yet.

It’s difficult to know just how well it did, since Google does not release sales figures. But at one point Asus said sales were approaching one million units a month. The Nexus 7 is due for a refresh, but we may not see it till later this summer.

Android Jelly Bean

More of an incremental upgrade than a major overhaul, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 brought such enhancements as improved text and speech input, the ability to share photos between phones via NFC and more detailed notifications. Jelly Bean also introduced Google Now, a smart personal assistant app that provides information based on your location, search queries and other personal data. Just last month, a version of Google Now was released for the iPhone and iPad.

As of May 1, around 28.4 percent of Android devices were running Jelly Bean, which is slightly more than those running the previous version, Ice Cream Sandwich (27.5 percent). Still, a plurality (38.5 percent) of Android phones are running Gingerbread, which is two versions behind Jelly Bean. At I/O 2011, Google announced the Android Upgrade Alliance to help improve the rate of updates, and while things have gotten better, these numbers show that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Google Compute Engine

Looking to take on Amazon in another battleground, Google announced its Compute Engine cloud-computing service at the conference last year. In an effort to get more businesses to run their applications on servers in Google’s data center, the company said its new service offers 50 percent more computing power per dollar than its rivals. Google Compute Engine was released in limited preview at the time of I/O, but last month Google opened up the service to anyone who signs up for its Gold support program, which starts at $400 per month.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130514/where-are-they-now-google-io-2012-edition/feed/0Green Throttle Takes (A Few) Mobile Games to the Living Roomhttp://allthingsd.com/20130425/green-throttle-takes-a-few-mobile-games-to-the-living-room/
http://allthingsd.com/20130425/green-throttle-takes-a-few-mobile-games-to-the-living-room/#commentsThu, 25 Apr 2013 13:00:50 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=315322The last time I owned a videogame console, Hypercolor shirts were in, everyone pegged their jeans, and I had a perm. In other words, it was a long time ago. (It was the Nintendo Entertainment System, by the way.)

I’m ready to get a new system now, and choosing one is proving to be a difficult decision. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii U are the most well-known and popular ones. But I don’t want to spend a lot of money, and I already have a Roku set-top box and DVD player, so I don’t necessarily need the entertainment aspects of those systems. What to get?

Enter Green Throttle. Started by one of the co-creators of the Guitar Hero videogame with two former Palm employees, Green Throttle is an app and game-controller solution that aims to turn your existing Android tablet or smartphone into a game console.

The only thing you have to buy is the Atlas game controller, which costs $40 and connects via Bluetooth. If your mobile device can be plugged into a TV for playing video, the company also sells bundles that include special cables for connecting to your HDTV. Meanwhile, the company’s free Arena application acts as the game center, where you can download titles and play games.

Green Throttle is more about enhancing the game-playing experience of mobile devices, rather than being a direct competitor to Xbox or PlayStation. And it succeeds in that goal. The controller allows for more precision and capabilities than a touchscreen. It’s also nice to be able to play games on a bigger screen. But there’s a big drawback, and that’s its lack of compatible games. There are currently fewer than a dozen games that work with Green Throttle, so it’s simply not worth buying right now — though it has potential.

Green Throttle works with any device running on Google’s Android operating system, version 4.0 or higher. I tested it on the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and setup was relatively painless.

After turning on the Atlas controller and downloading the Arena from the Google Play Store, I went to the app’s settings menu to connect the controller. The pairing process took some time, though. Normally, when I connect a Bluetooth headset or keyboard to a smartphone or tablet for the first time, the whole process only takes a couple of minutes.

With Green Throttle, it took at least a few minutes for both tablets to find the Atlas controller. Enough time had elapsed that I thought something might be wrong, but eventually I got a prompt to connect to the controller, and I was up and running shortly after that. Fortunately, once paired, reconnections were almost instantaneous.

The controller is similar to the ones used with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It’s powered by two AA batteries (included in the package), and there are two joysticks, a directional pad, X, Y, A, B buttons, and two trigger and two shoulder buttons on the top edge of the controller. The power, start and back buttons are located in the middle. All the controls were within easy reach, and provided good feedback — not too stiff or mushy-feeling.

The user interface of the Green Throttle Arena game hub is pretty straightforward. There are four tabbed sections you can peruse: Home, My Games, Recommended and Settings. The latter is self-explanatory. Home features the latest Green Throttle news, recent games and featured games. My Games is where you’ll find all your downloaded titles, while Recommended surfaces editors’ picks.

A couple of things were missing: One is a search feature for looking up specific titles; the other is the ability to look for games by type, such as action, puzzle, sports and so on. Green Throttle says it will add both functions in the future.

For now, this isn’t a huge issue, since there aren’t that many games. Games must be built to work with the Atlas controllers, so you can’t use them to play titles you’ve already downloaded from the Google Play store.

Currently, there are only eight available titles from the Arena game store, with six c. Green Throttle said it is adding one or two new games to the store every week, and more than 500 companies are using its software to build titles for the system, including a few well-known console game developers.

I tried all eight titles. Most are casual or retro-style arcade games. Given the limitations of a mobile device’s hardware (computing and graphics power, memory, etc.), you won’t find any really complex or graphics-intensive titles, compared to dedicated game consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation, or even the Razer Edge gaming tablet. So, if you’re looking for big-name titles like Assassin’s Creed III or BioShock Infinite, this isn’t the system for you.

Instead, you get games like Coral Combat, a Space Invaders-type game that takes place underwater, or FishTails, a racing game where you have to collect as many coins as possible while dodging obstacles. There are also multiplayer games like Crystal Swarm, where you can team up to kill alien bugs. I played the game with a friend, using the Kindle Fire HD hooked up to my Samsung TV.

They’re all worth a try (most games are free, but APO Snow costs $1.99, and Gunslugs costs $1.49), but given their simple nature, I wasn’t drawn to play them on a regular basis, with the exception of the snowboarding game APO Snow, and Blocks Party.

Performance was smooth. Also, having a controller with physical buttons made it easy to navigate through the games and accomplish moves.

Final score: Green Throttle takes the mobile gaming experience to the next level in an affordable way, but it’s not worth it until it beefs up its game selection.

Update: Shortly after this review was originally published, Green Throttle announced six new games for the Arena app, including The Bard’s Tale and Duke Nukem 3D.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130425/green-throttle-takes-a-few-mobile-games-to-the-living-room/feed/0Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0: A Pen-Based Tablet With a Premium Pricehttp://allthingsd.com/20130418/a-pen-based-tablet-with-a-premium-price/
http://allthingsd.com/20130418/a-pen-based-tablet-with-a-premium-price/#commentsThu, 18 Apr 2013 13:00:13 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=313359Shopping for a tablet with a stylus may stir up memories of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is nice, but too big to hold comfortably in one hand, and the Galaxy Note II is easier to hold, but has a display that’s too small for optimal use with its stylus. At long last, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is just the right size, except for one feature: Its not-so-fairy-tale-like price tag.

Like the rest of the Samsung Galaxy Note series, this Android tablet features a built-in stylus and special apps and features that allow you to jot down handwritten notes and sketches, or use it like a mouse when browsing websites. It’s a handy productivity tool that does plenty of other things. Plus, the eight-inch screen is large enough for using the stylus comfortably, though it’s compact enough to hold in one hand.

But, at $400, it’s pricey compared to other tablets in this size range. Apple’s iPad mini, which has a 7.9-inch screen, costs $329, and Google’s Nexus 7, which has a seven-inch screen, is even cheaper at $200 (all prices are for the 16 gigabyte models). Both are solid tablets, though neither includes a stylus.

If the Galaxy Note 8.0 were about $100 less, I’d recommend it without hesitation, but at its current price, only get it if you really want the stylus functionality. Otherwise, the iPad mini and Nexus 7 are better buys.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 measures 8.3 inches tall by 5.3 inches wide and 0.3 inch thick in portrait mode. Constructed largely from plastic, it weighs less than a pound, but it doesn’t feel fragile or cheap. The back is slick, and I wish it had a textured surface like the Nexus 7.

The eight-inch touchscreen has a resolution of 1,280 by 800 pixels. By comparison, the Nexus 7 has the same resolution, but the iPad mini’s display has a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. Looking at the same photos in a side-by-side comparison, I found that the Samsung showed the brightest colors, while the Nexus 7 had the sharpest image quality. The latter is due to the fact that the Nexus has a smaller seven-inch screen, so there is less space between its screen’s pixels. Still, viewing videos and reading text on the Galaxy Note 8.0 was an enjoyable experience.

Above the display is a 1.3-megapixel camera, and there is a five-megapixel camera on the back. A microSD card slot is located on the left side for expanding memory — something the iPad mini and Nexus 7 do not offer.

The stylus — or S Pen, as Samsung calls it — is located in the bottom-right corner of the tablet. Once you remove it from its holder, the tablet automatically launches a window with options for creating various kinds of notes and cards using Samsung’s S Note app, such as meeting notes, diary entries and birthday cards.

One of the functions of the S Note app is the ability to convert handwritten notes into text. I was particularly eager to try this out, since I often take written notes during meetings, but have a hard time reading my scribbles later.

I used it for a work meeting and, unfortunately, the handwriting-to-text transcription wasn’t very accurate. For example, I wrote, “redefining phonebook experience on mobile device,” and S Note translated it to, “Pedufiung phonebook experience on mvhih device.”

If I wrote slowly and more precisely, the accuracy improved, but I don’t usually have the luxury of time when taking notes as someone is talking. And even though S Pen allows you to record audio at the same time as you’re writing, I didn’t feel comfortable using the Galaxy Note 8.0 as my main note-taking device.

There are aspects of the tablet and stylus that I found very useful. For example, by using the button located near the bottom of the S Pen, you can generate an automatically drawn outline around a photo, map or anything onscreen to clip and save to a note.

The preloaded Polaris Office Suite also allows you to annotate Office documents using the stylus, and it was a great way to get some work done on the go. I emailed a copy of this column to myself, and, while waiting for a friend at a cafe, I used the Galaxy Note 8.0 to call out some changes I wanted to make to the story.

In addition, the Galaxy Note 8.0 offers a multi-window feature where you can have two apps opened at once. This functionality is limited to about 20 apps, including the Web browser, music player, email, Facebook and YouTube. It was handy to be able to view my email in one window and check my calendar right beside it to see if I was free for an appointment.

Samsung ships the tablet with several other apps, including Group Play for sharing photos and documents between devices, the Paper Artist drawing app and Samsung’s new video service WatchOn. I tried them out for curiosity’s sake, but I can’t say I’d use them on a regular basis. The Galaxy Note 8.0 runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system with Samsung’s customized user interface.

Overall, I found performance to be smooth. I experienced little to no delay when launching and switching between apps. Unfortunately, battery life isn’t quite up to snuff with the competition.

In my battery tests, where I set the screen’s brightness to 75 percent and played a video in a continuous loop with Wi-Fi and email running in the background, the Galaxy Note 8.0 lasted eight hours before needing a recharge. The iPad mini lasted 10 hours and 27 minutes, while the Nexus 7 offered 10 hours and 44 minutes.

With the Galaxy Note 8.0’s built-in stylus and integrated apps, Samsung had a chance to set itself apart from the competition. But an expensive price limits its appeal. Unless you really want the S Pen capability, the Nexus 7 or iPad Mini is the better choice for now.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130418/a-pen-based-tablet-with-a-premium-price/feed/0A Pocket-Size Solution for Enjoying More Entertainment on the Gohttp://allthingsd.com/20130411/a-pocket-size-solution-for-enjoying-more-entertainment-on-the-go/
http://allthingsd.com/20130411/a-pocket-size-solution-for-enjoying-more-entertainment-on-the-go/#commentsThu, 11 Apr 2013 13:00:58 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=310759Tablets and smartphones have made it easy to stay entertained during your travels. You can fill up a device with music and movies to enjoy on the road, but you might find yourself having to pick and choose what to load because you don’t have enough space left on your iPad or Samsung Galaxy S III. Will it be the latest season of “Mad Men,” or “Game of Thrones”?

HP says you can have both.

This week I’ve been testing the HP Pocket Playlist ($130), a portable storage drive with built-in Wi-Fi that can stream DRM-free (non-copyright-protected) video, music and photos to up to five devices via an accompanying app.

Designed for those with large media libraries and for families who want to share content, this smartphone-size accessory has 32 gigabytes of total storage, so it can hold roughly 16 full-length movies, 7,600 songs or 10,000 photos. You can even use a service called PlayLater to record streamed content from services like Hulu and Netflix, then store it on your Pocket Playlist to watch later without an Internet connection.

The Pocket Playlist worked fairly well in my tests, and it’s a sleek solution if your smartphone or tablet doesn’t have an option for expandable storage via a microSD slot. But if you have an extra-large media library and are looking for more than 32GB of extra storage, you’ll have to look elsewhere, like the Seagate Satellite with 500GB of storage ($150), or the Kingston Wi-Drive, which you can get on sale for around $120 for the 64GB model and $170 for the 128GB model.

Smooth and polished like a pebble, the Pocket Playlist measures 4.65 inches long by 2.36 inches wide by 0.35 inch thick, and weighs 2.2 ounces. While it’s another device to pack and carry on your travels, it’s smaller and thinner than the iPhone 5, so it’s easy to throw in a backpack or purse.

There are only three controls on the device: A power button, a USB/Wi-Fi toggle switch, and a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) key, which allows you to connect to a network and enable data encryption for security.

The easiest and fastest way to get media files onto the Pocket Playlist is to connect it to your computer via the included USB cable. (Be sure the toggle switch is set to the USB setting.) Once plugged in, it shows up as a USB drive, and then you can drag and drop files to the device. I added a bunch of music from my iTunes library, and several MP4 video files to the Pocket Playlist with no problem.

In addition, I added several recorded TV shows from PlayLater. PlayLater is a software service from MediaMall Technologies Inc. that allows you to record online video from a network’s website and streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video. Once recorded, you can watch them later on your computer or your iOS or Android device without an Internet connection. The company likens the service to a DVR for online video.

It’s a neat service, and MediaMall says everything is legal. But the software only works on Windows for now, and it’s a pay service, with subscriptions starting at $20 for a year.

With it, I was able to record recent episodes of “Saturday Night Live,” “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “The Mindy Project.” Also, after entering my Netflix login and password, I recorded some episodes of “The Walking Dead.” Much like your DVR at home, recordings happen in real time, so a 30-minute TV show takes 30 minutes to record. Once that’s finished, you can drag and drop your saved files to the Pocket Playlist.

Before you’re ready to play, you will need to download the free HP Pocket Playlist app from the iTunes or the Google Play Store. The Pocket Playlist is compatible with Apple’s iOS devices and smartphones and tablets running Android 2.3 or higher. I tested it out on the iPhone 5, fourth-generation iPad, Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus 4.

Connecting the Pocket Playlist to your smartphone or tablet is easy. First you need to switch the connection source from USB to Wi-Fi using the toggle button on the right side. Then, you will need to go into your smartphone or tablet Wi-Fi settings and choose PocketPlaylist as your network.

Once I did all that, I launched the app and found all my transferred files organized by folder — music, video, photos. Within each folder are sub-folders to help you find content by category. For example, under “music,” songs are also categorized by album, artist and genre.

The Pocket Playlist worked as advertised, and I was able to stream music and video to all four devices at once. I only ran into one issue during my testing: While streaming the same video to the iPhone, iPad and Nexus devices, I noticed that playback was a bit choppy on the Nexus 4.

I also brought along the iPad, Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 on an hour-long road trip up the California coast over the weekend, and passed them out to my friends like party favors. They each selected different videos to watch, and no one reported any issues with performance.

HP estimates battery life at up to five hours, depending on the type of file that is being streamed and the number of streamed devices. In my battery tests, I streamed MP4 video files to two devices (iPad and Nexus 4), and the Pocket Playlist lasted four hours before needing a recharge. A car charger is included in the box.

If your smartphone or tablet is at capacity and you don’t want to cull your media library to make room for more, the HP Pocket Playlist offers a slick way to carry and enjoy those extra files. It’s also a great way to keep the peace on family vacations.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130411/a-pocket-size-solution-for-enjoying-more-entertainment-on-the-go/feed/0Surprise! HP's New Slate 7 Tablet Runs on Android.http://allthingsd.com/20130224/surprise-hps-new-slate-7-tablet-runs-on-android/
http://allthingsd.com/20130224/surprise-hps-new-slate-7-tablet-runs-on-android/#commentsSun, 24 Feb 2013 17:11:06 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=297681It was only a few weeks ago that HP introduced its first laptop running Google’s Chrome operating system, and now we have HP’s first tablet running on Google’s mobile OS.

While still committed to Windows, HP said it wants to offer its customers more choice, including access to the Google experience, and the Slate 7 is the company’s effort to do so in another form factor.

But it’s another device in an already crowded field of Android tablets, so how will HP try to woo customers? With a cheap price tag.

The Slate 7 costs $169 and will be available in the U.S. starting in April. That’s $30 less than the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Even so, it might be a tough sell.

There are trade-offs for the cheaper price. The display only has a resolution of 1,024 by 600 pixels, and though it has expandable memory, it only comes in an 8 gigabyte model.

It’s powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core ARM processor and comes with a three-megapixel camera on back and a front-facing VGA camera. Battery life is estimated at up to five hours.

By comparison, the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD lack rear cameras, but both have higher resolution screens (1,280 by 800 pixels) and come in 16GB and 32GB versions. The Nexus 7 also has a faster quad-core Nvidia processor, and as a Nexus device, it will be the first to receive the latest OS updates from Google.

The Kindle Fire HD, meanwhile, offers up to 11 hours of battery life and access to Amazon’s expansive content library.

A savings of $30 is nice, but a better screen, longer battery life and content might be worth the extra money in the long run.

I got some brief hands on-time with the Slate 7 at a media event in Barcelona, and there’s nothing about the tablet that really stood out to me. The design is portable and light enough to use one-handed, but it blends into the sea of other Android devices. (HP is selling a model with a red back, so I suppose that’s different.)

As an entry-level device, I didn’t expect a high-resolution screen, and the display is bright and clear enough to view text and images. But if HP really wanted to grab people’s attention, it should have matched the competition. Also, HP is really pushing the Beats Audio integration as a differentiator, but I don’t see it as a killer feature.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130224/surprise-hps-new-slate-7-tablet-runs-on-android/feed/15Samsung Takes Aim at iPad Mini With Galaxy Note 8.0http://allthingsd.com/20130223/samsung-takes-on-ipad-mini-with-galaxy-note-8-0/
http://allthingsd.com/20130223/samsung-takes-on-ipad-mini-with-galaxy-note-8-0/#commentsSun, 24 Feb 2013 02:00:53 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=297577Samsung is on a path to offer a device in every screen size with today’s introduction of the Galaxy Note 8.0.

Debuting at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is positioned between the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Note 10.1, as Samsung looks to re-establish itself as a player in the mid-size tablet market and take on the likes of the iPad Mini and Nexus 7.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 has an 8-inch, 1,280 by 800 pixel touchscreen and comes with an S Pen stylus like the rest of the Galaxy Note series. But it offers a number of new features not found on the other devices.

The first is something called “Reading Mode.” Whenever you launch an e-reader app, the tablet automatically adjusts the contrast of the screen to help reduce eye strain and provide a reading experience more akin to an e-ink display. It works with Samsung’s Readers Hub, as well as third-party apps like the Amazon Kindle app for Android.

Samsung is also preloading the Galaxy Note 8.0 with several apps. One is the company’s new Awesome Note app for taking notes, creating to-do lists and composing diary entries. The Smart Remote app allows you to use the tablet as a remote control. There’s also an S Pen-optimized version of the social news app, Flipboard. With it, you can hover the stylus over a tile and get a preview of the headline.

While we’re on the subject of the stylus, Samsung has built in the capability to use the S Pen to control the tablet’s menu and back hardware buttons. Previously, you could only use your finger.

Running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is powered by a 1.6GHz Exynos quad-core processor and has a five-megapixel camera on back and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. It also includes software features found on the Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Note 10.1, such as support for multiple windows, and pop-up video screens.

One interesting thing to note is that the global version of the Galaxy Note 8.0 will offer phone capabilities, while the U.S. version will be Wi-Fi only. The tablet will come in Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE versions, and customers can choose from a 16 gigabyte or 32GB model (with expandable memory).

This certainly isn’t the first mid-size tablet for Samsung. In fact, the company was one of the first to pioneer the category with its 7-inch Galaxy Tab. But Samsung’s tablets haven’t enjoyed the same type of popularity as its Galaxy S smartphones or Galaxy Note phablets.

Though the company offers tablets in a wide range of screen sizes (7, 8.9, 10.1 inches), there are several different lines (Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab Plus, Galaxy Note), which is confusing. And until the Galaxy Note 10.1 came along, Samsung’s offerings blended in with the rest of the Android tablets.

Samsung is now banking on such features as the multi-window support and S Pen to help the Galaxy Note 8.0 stand out from its competitors.

Pricing will also be a key factor, but of course, no such details were given today. The Galaxy Note 8.0 is expected to be available in the U.S. and other parts of the world in the second quarter of 2013, and Samsung said it will release more information closer to launch.

The company also said that it plans to make tablets a major focus for the U.S. market in 2013. The new products will be designed around several major themes, including the living room experience, a more consistent user interface between the company’s various devices, and productivity and creativity.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130223/samsung-takes-on-ipad-mini-with-galaxy-note-8-0/feed/14Steve Jobs Was Right. Tablets Are Cars. PCs Are Trucks.http://allthingsd.com/20130109/steve-jobs-was-right-tablets-are-cars-pcs-are-trucks/
http://allthingsd.com/20130109/steve-jobs-was-right-tablets-are-cars-pcs-are-trucks/#commentsWed, 09 Jan 2013 12:25:13 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=283670Apple CEO Steve Jobs often compared the transition from desktop/laptop PCs to tablets with the transition from trucks to cars. Just as trucks waned in popularity with the urbanization of America, Jobs theorized, so, too, would desktops and laptops with the advent of the tablet.

“When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks, because that’s what you needed on the farm,” Jobs said at our D8 conference in 2010. “But as vehicles started to be used in the urban centers, cars got more popular. Innovations like automatic transmission and power steering and things that you didn’t care about in a truck as much started to become paramount in cars. … PCs are going to be like trucks. They’re still going to be around, they’re still going to have a lot of value, but they’re going to be used by one out of X people.”

The research outfit reckons 207 million notebooks to be shipped in 2013. And it expects tablet shipments to rise 64 percent year over year to top out at 240 million.

And that’s just the beginning of a trend that will slowly see the notebook PC supplanted by the tablet. By 2017, NPD figures, tablets will have captured nearly 75 percent of the combined global tablet-laptop market, spurred on by new screen sizes that are fueling consumer interest in the device.

Indeed, according to NPD the seven-inch to eight-inch screen — like the ones in Google’s Nexus 7 and Apple’s new iPad mini, for example — is already so popular that it has become the preferred tablet display size. In 2013, the research firm expects it to account for 45 percent of the market, surpassing the 9.7-inch size pioneered by the original iPad, which will account for about 17 percent.

“The 7.9-inch size is expected to be the screen size leader in share starting in 2013 because it appeals to supply and demand factors,” NPD DisplaySearch’s Richard Shim told AllThingsD. “From a supply perspective, it will be readily available, meaning it shouldn’t face any technical issues to limit its production. And from a demand perspective, since it is used in the lower priced end of the iPad portfolio, it will appeal to a wider segment of the mainstream market than the more expensive larger sized iPads.”

But the broader market numbers are what’s of real interest here. The consumer tablet market isn’t even three years old yet, but it’s already poised to surpass the market for laptops. And by such a significant amount — nearly 16 percent. Jobs said the day would come when only one out of every few people would need a traditional computer. Hard to believe it’s arriving so quickly.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130109/steve-jobs-was-right-tablets-are-cars-pcs-are-trucks/feed/0Acer Targets Families, Newbies With Sub-$150 Iconia B1 Tablethttp://allthingsd.com/20130107/acer-targets-families-newbies-with-sub-150-iconia-b1-tablet/
http://allthingsd.com/20130107/acer-targets-families-newbies-with-sub-150-iconia-b1-tablet/#commentsMon, 07 Jan 2013 16:00:25 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=282854Just before Christmas, rumors started to swirl that Acer would release an Android tablet priced at around $99. That could still be, but the Taiwanese company didn’t talk exact pricing today when it introduced the new Acer Iconia B1 at International CES.

Instead, Acer said the seven-inch Android Jelly Bean tablet would cost less than $150, and is designed for new tablet users or for families looking for a second device for their children.

Price will be the key differentiator between the Iconia B1 and devices like the $199 Nexus 7. Acer President Jim Wong also cited the tablet’s true Google experience as a benefit over more “sandboxed” tablets like the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook.

But there are trade-offs for the cheaper price. For example, the touchscreen only has a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels — the same as the original Kindle Fire — and the front-facing camera is just 0.3 megapixels.

It will also only come in an eight gigabyte model, though there is a microSD expansion slot. Powering the device is a dual-core 1.2GHz processor from Mediatek.

AllThingsD’s Lauren Goode and I got a chance to check out the Iconia B1-A71 yesterday, and it definitely looks and feels like a budget tablet. Pixels were much more visible, compared to something like the Nexus 7. The plastic chassis and electric-blue edges almost made it feel like a toy — although to be fair, one of the Iconia B1’s target audiences is children.

The tablet is also aimed at first-time tablet users, particularly in emerging markets. As such, the Iconia B1 will launch first in South America, starting next month. Meanwhile, North America will be part of a “phase two” rollout that may include this device or another tablet similar to it.

With the arrival of such devices as the Nexus 7, iPad mini and Kindle Fire, Acer has struggled in the tablet market — a point that Wong doesn’t deny.

“We want to come back to tablets, and we want to do it aggressively,” said Wong in an interview with AllThingsD. “Creating a low barrier of entry to the seven-inch tablet segment is one way we can do that.”

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20130107/acer-targets-families-newbies-with-sub-150-iconia-b1-tablet/feed/2Surface Barely Ripples Web Traffichttp://allthingsd.com/20121211/surface-barely-ripples-web-traffic/
http://allthingsd.com/20121211/surface-barely-ripples-web-traffic/#commentsTue, 11 Dec 2012 12:00:53 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=276643Microsoft’s Windows RT-powered Surface tablet has been on sale for a little over a month now, available for purchase exclusively from the Microsoft Store (online and brick-and-mortar). And if early Web traffic from the device is any indication, it hasn’t exactly been flying off the shelves.

Chitika measured tens of millions of ad impressions on its network originating from tablets in the U.S. and Canada between November 12 and November 18. And, as you can see from the chart below, Surface’s presence was negligible — .13 percent for the period surveyed. (Chitika tells me the iPad still dominates its network, with 88 percent of tablet Web traffic in North America coming from users of the device.)

Not much of a surprise, really. Surface is, after all, a new entrant in a highly competitive market littered with the bodies of aspirants hoping to go head to head with Apple’s iPad. Indeed, it would have been more surprising if Chitika had discovered a groundswell of Web traffic coming from the device. As I’ve noted here before, it’s likely that Surface sales have been hamstrung by a roll-out strategy that has severely limited the device’s retail availability. That could change a bit if Microsoft expands Surface’s distribution, as has been rumored.

What is somewhat surprising, though, is just how little Web traffic Chitika is seeing from Google’s marquee tablets. The analytics firm notes that traffic from the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 combined is exactly seven times that of Surface.

That makes for a great comparison. But seven times .13 percent is itself a piddling metric — .91 percent. So even Google’s best-of-breed Android tablets — including one, the Nexus 7, that has been available since July — appear to be struggling for purchase in the market Microsoft is only entering just now. And that’s got to be at least a little reassuring to the folks up in Redmond.

Sure, Microsoft has a lot of ground to make up with Surface. But so does anyone else hoping to stake a claim in the iPad-dominated tablet market.

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20121211/surface-barely-ripples-web-traffic/feed/0The Most Popular Tech Ad of 2012 … Isn't From Applehttp://allthingsd.com/20121205/the-most-popular-tech-ad-of-2012-isnt-from-apple/
http://allthingsd.com/20121205/the-most-popular-tech-ad-of-2012-isnt-from-apple/#commentsWed, 05 Dec 2012 16:00:02 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=275319In the real world, Apple sells lots of hardware. On the Web, Apple generates lots of clicks. But when it comes to Web video, there are plenty of other tech brands competing for your eyeballs.

Check out this list of 2012’s most popular tech ads, compiled by video tracker Visible Measures. Only a single Apple ad cracks the Top 10, and it’s not even a formal Apple ad — it’s the company’s seven-minute introduction for the iPhone 5.

Visible Measures says it comes in at No. 6, with 18.4 million “true reach” views, which is supposed to measure every version of the clip that hit YouTube and every other video site, as well as parodies, mashups, etc.

Of course, you could also argue that Apple gets partial credit for the top spot, as well, since that one goes to Samsung’s Galaxy S III ad, which lacerates Apple fanboys. This one brought in 71.8 million views, says Visible Measures.

Here’s the rest of the list. Note that Google, either directly or via Android, is involved in more than half of the clips:

2: Intel/Toshiba, 54.4 million

3: Samsung, 42.2 million

4: Samsung, 22.9 million

5: Google, 20.8 million

7: LG, 17.3 million

8: Samsung, 16.4 million

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmDtXHOi7bQ

9: Google, 13.8 million

10: Microsoft, 13.6 million

]]>http://allthingsd.com/20121205/the-most-popular-tech-ad-of-2012-isnt-from-apple/feed/0Google’s Latest Nexus Tablet a Hit, but Not a Perfect 10http://allthingsd.com/20121129/googles-latest-nexus-tablet-a-hit-but-not-a-perfect-10/
http://allthingsd.com/20121129/googles-latest-nexus-tablet-a-hit-but-not-a-perfect-10/#commentsThu, 29 Nov 2012 14:00:28 +0000http://allthingsd.com/?p=273401Google turned heads this summer when it released its Nexus 7 tablet. Together with Asus, the company produced a solid Android tablet that offered an affordable price tag, nice design and smooth performance to rival the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. But can the company do it again with a 10-inch version to take on the reigning leader, the Apple iPad?

The answer is mostly yes.

Working this time with Samsung, the Nexus 10 is a good alternative to the iPad. I’ve been using it for the past week, and I love the gorgeous display and design. The latest Android software also brings some nice extras, such as enhanced voice search and support for multiple users. Plus, it’s $100 less than the latest iPad, at $399 for the 16 gigabyte Wi-Fi model and $499 for the 32GB Wi-Fi version.

It’s not without faults, though. Battery life could be better. But the major issue that prevents it from overtaking the iPad is app selection. For now, Android doesn’t offer as many apps designed specifically for tablet use, compared to iTunes. Still, for those who prefer the Android operating system and want the larger screen, or are on a budget, the Nexus 10 is a great pick.

Right away, my eyes were drawn to the Nexus 10’s beautiful display. The touchscreen measures 10 inches diagonally and has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. On paper, it actually bests the iPad’s Retina display, which shows 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. But in real life, I had a hard time seeing a difference between the two.

Images and text were incredibly sharp and clear on the tablet’s display. I watched a couple of movies during a cross-country flight, and enjoyed the viewing experience.

I also downloaded a couple of issues of Conde Nast Traveler from the Google Play store, and read the articles without problems, drooling over photos of exotic locales.

Reading e-books was less pleasant, due to the tablet’s larger size. At 10 inches wide and 1.33 pounds, I got tired of holding it after a while, especially in portrait mode. For reading on the bus or in bed, I much prefer something smaller, like the Kindle or even the Nexus 7.

The Nexus 10 is well-built. The back has a rubberized texture, so it’s easy to grip. It’s also sturdy, and doesn’t feel cheap. The display even has an extra layer of protection to help prevent scratches.

Like the Nexus 4 smartphone, the Nexus 10 ships running the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. One of the key additions to the software is support for multiple users, which is good if you plan to share the tablet with other family members. (Barnes and Noble’s Nook HD also enables up to six accounts.)

Now each person can choose a profile image from a selection of icons along the bottom of the lock screen to launch a personalized tablet experience, complete with just his or her own apps and a customized home screen and background.

Set-up is quite easy, but I noticed a slight delay when switching users.

Google has also improved its voice-activated personal assistant feature. When my colleague Walt Mossberg tested out this Siri-like function on the Nexus 7, the tablet didn’t understand questions like, “Will I need an umbrella today?”

But when I asked the same question on the Nexus 10, it replied, “Rain is not expected today,” and gave me a full weather report. I also used it to launch applications and send simple emails, and it worked fine. But when I tried to create a calendar appointment, it kept getting the wrong time.

The tablet offers a main five-megapixel camera on back, and a front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera for video calls. The camera app has a new option called Photo Sphere, which enables you to take a 360-degree panoramic photo in every direction, not just side to side.

I took a couple of photos, and the software guided me through the picture-taking process. The effect is cool when it works. The results were best when taking sweeping landscape photos, but with portraits or close-ups, some objects looked warped, and the stitching was jagged in places. Also, I’m not a big fan of taking pictures with a tablet, so I’m not sure how often I’d use this feature.

Overall, I was happy with the Nexus 10’s performance. It handled most tasks well, including gaming and video streaming. Google and Samsung estimate battery life at up to nine hours of video playback, and up to seven hours of Web browsing.

In my battery test, I played back-to-back video and set the screen brightness to 75 percent with Wi-Fi on to retrieve email in the background. The Nexus 10 lasted six hours before displaying a low-battery alert. By comparison, the third-generation iPad offered nine hours and 58 minutes of battery life in the same tests.

With more normal use, where I checked email and social networks, browsed the Web and viewed a few YouTube clips, the Nexus 10 lasted a little more than 24 hours before needing a recharge.

But the biggest problem with the Nexus 10 doesn’t have anything to do with the device itself. It’s an issue that plagues all Android tablets, and that’s the selection of apps. The Google Play Store offers more than 700,000 Android apps but the company doesn’t specify how many are designed for tablets. Meanwhile, Apple offers more than 275,000 apps for the iPad.

While testing a selection of apps, I discovered numerous titles designed for a smartphone’s smaller display; when viewed on the Nexus 10, the look and user experience is poor.

For example, I downloaded the Surfline app so I could check the reports and forecasts for my local surf spots. When I opened the app, most of the navigation tools and menus were not formatted for the larger screen. Also, when I launched one of the live Webcam feeds to streaming video of the beach, the viewing window was so small that I had hard time making out any details.

That said, this may not be a huge issue for some, since many of the most popular apps, such as Facebook and ESPN, work just fine on the tablet.

If you’re not tied to Apple’s ecosystem, the Nexus 10 provides a great tablet experience, and one that I would certainly recommend.